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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · bat · wax · firm · spell · branch · cap · mate

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wax — to grow
  5. firm — a company
  6. mate — a partner
  7. branch — a division
  8. cap — a lid
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bat — the animal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. firm — decided
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. firm — steady
  23. spell — magic
  24. cap — a hat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com